The World Assembly,
Aware that clean, safe drinking water in many nations of the World Assembly is progressively becoming more scarce as it is lost to pollution, greater demands by the growing population, and unsustainable consumption;
Acknowledging that, even today, the World Assembly bears witness to the devastating effects of freshwater shortages in some struggling nations within its hallowed halls;
Recognizing the tragic effects water shortages have on the public welfare of member nations afflicted with this issue such as civilians needing to resort to drinking contaminated water;
Further recognizing the severe effects water shortages have on nations' economies, with this issue crippling agriculture, spurring greater unrest within the nation, and increasing the migration of large populations;
Observing that the business sector, especially agriculture, is one of the greatest contributors to freshwater pollution and over-consumption in many member nations;
Convinced that leaving the issue of freshwater shortages unaddressed would exacerbate current water shortages in some member nations, and have undoubtedly tragic consequences to others in the near future;
Desiring to address this issue through a series of proposed actions member nations are strongly advised to take, and through the work and dedication of the Joint Water Resources Management Panel;
Hereby:
1. Defines, for the purposes of this resolution, "Greywater" as water that can be safely used for irrigation, cooling off factory equipment, and other purposes not involving public consumption;
2. Strongly urges member nations to monitor and measure their freshwater supply (based on estimates) annually in order to observe and determine trends in the condition of the water, and to take any further actions, if necessary, in improving the management of the freshwater supply with this information to avoid extensive contamination and shortages;
3. Encourages member nations to reduce businesses’ excessive use and pollution of fresh water with appropriate legislative action including:
- Establishing a limit on the annual freshwater footprint of certain industries;
- Instituting regular inspections of water pipelines of manufacturing companies, especially of water plants, to find and prevent the use of faulty or corroded piping, contamination of water, or the spillage of massive volumes of water;
4. Obligates member nations to educate the public on the causes and effects of water shortages, proper water usage, and practical methods of water conservation;
5. Recommends that member nations practice the following methods to effectively prevent water shortages:
- Creating irrigated agricultural basins, man-made depressions in the land engineered to collect run-off, to improve agricultural water productivity and irrigation efficiency;
- Collecting and recycling rainwater;
- Processing runoff and sewage into greywater;
6. Prohibits member nations or any businesses contained wherein from disposing hazardous waste into oceanic bodies, international waters, and the public drinking supply;
7. Extends the authority of the Joint Water Resources Management Panel to include:
- Sending aid to member nations suffering from an environmental disaster threatening their freshwater and drinking supply at the nation’s request;
- Providing member nations the tools they need to monitor freshwater resources, and finance projects that aim to reduce the over-consumption or contamination and pollution of freshwater in member nations that lack the fiscal resources to manage the projects themselves upon the nation’s request;
- Educating farmers and the agricultural industry on how to effectively reduce water use in agriculture, teaching them topics including the precise use of irrigation and how to enhance the water retention of soil, at the nation's request;
- Assisting in the management of the freshwater supply of member nations in dire circumstances where the national freshwater and drinking supply is under a very real, severe threat wherein the public health is being harmed.
Co-authored by
Araraukar and
Kenmoria
